


Live a Little

by corgasbord



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing
Genre: Alternate Universe - Non-Despair, First Meetings, Fluff, M/M, Talentswap, casual crossdressing, feat. maid!kaito and artist!shuuichi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-03
Updated: 2017-04-03
Packaged: 2018-10-14 08:27:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,108
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10532670
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/corgasbord/pseuds/corgasbord
Summary: Shuuichi is an artist in need of inspiration, and he ends up finding it where it least expects it: at his local maid café.





	

**Author's Note:**

> here's another bright idea that isn't mine, courtesy of the ao3 ndrv3 hell discord. some folks wanted saimota based off of KomaruNaegi's [talentswap au](http://holy-shit-dangan-ronpa.tumblr.com/tagged/meg%27s-v3-talentswap-au), so i decided to write it. you're welcome.
> 
> ([tumblr](http://corgiboard.tumblr.com/post/159142315745/live-a-little) link)

Shuuichi would swear up and down to anyone who asked that he's only visiting the maid café out of sheer curiosity. He has no ulterior motives. He isn’t even completely sure about going through with it, at first - after all, these places have quite a reputation.

When he first steps inside, he can barely hear the soft chime of the bell signaling his arrival, too busy surveying the place with muted apprehension. The first thing that stands out to him is absurd amount of pastel, coating the walls and tiling the polished floors with soft shades of pink and yellow. Tables and chairs are neatly arranged along the walls, with several placed closer to the center, where he notices a small stage that juts all the way from the back of the restaurant. _Do they put on shows here or something?_ he wonders, before a voice snaps him out of his reverie. A decidedly _masculine_ voice.

“Hey, buddy, welcome! Table for one, I’m guessing?”

Shuuichi turns his head towards the source with wide eyes, because nothing about the atmosphere prepared him to be greeted by a young man in a dress. A tall and rather built man, no less, who somehow manages to pull off the maid ensemble remarkably well, heels and stockings and all.

Of course, Shuuichi has always maintained the opinion that certain kinds of clothing shouldn’t be reserved for one gender. The first encounter he has with this maid is mostly jarring because he’s never seen nor heard of a male maid before. He hadn’t even known that that was a _thing_ in maid cafés, which typically exist to cater to the tastes of (straight) male customers.

Shuuichi is so caught off-guard that it takes him a few seconds to stammer out a reply. “Um- yes, I’m by myself.” _No shit, Sherlock_.

Paying no mind to how painfully obvious Shuuichi’s answer was, the maid cheerfully says, “Okay then, right this way!” With that, he leads Shuuichi over to one of the small tables near the far wall of the café, and all Shuuichi can think is that these spots are probably meant for the lonely, single otakus that normally frequent this place.

It doesn’t help that part of the reason he came here in the first place was because he was told he might find some artistic inspiration. Shuuichi is already adept at watercolors, primarily of landscapes, but he’d really like to get better at drawing and painting _people_. He wouldn’t think a maid café is the place to do that, but a friend had suggested it to him because Shuuichi struggles with portraits of girls.

How ironic it is, then, that the maid to catch his interest first is a man. It just goes to show that weeaboos can’t be trusted.

“So, is there a specific server you want?” the maid asks, like he thinks Shuuichi knows who any of them are. “If they’re on the clock, I can just go get ‘em.”

“Er, I don’t…” Shuuichi stutters, avoiding eye contact. “This is my first time here, so… I’m not familiar with any of the maids.”

“Huh. That explains why I don’t recognize you.” Then the maid straightens, putting his hands on his hips. “Well then, my friend, today’s your lucky day! I’m Kaito Momota, the most popular maid in this joint, and I’ll be the one taking care of you!”

Shuuichi can’t help the way he balks at that. “The most popular?”

“Yep! At least, I am here,” Kaito replies proudly, puffing his chest out a bit. “I’m pretty much already a household name in this area. But one of these days, I’m gonna be renowned all over Japan for my skills- no, all over the _world_!”

Although amazed by that confidence, Shuuichi isn’t sure how to respond to it. “I… I see.”

“You _will_ see,” Kaito corrects him, grinning wildly. “I’ll prove it to you. You might wanna hang onto your socks, ‘cause otherwise I’m gonna knock ‘em right off!” With that, he winks, then pivots on his heel in a way that makes his frilly skirt swish pleasingly before walking off to fetch a menu.

Shuuichi isn’t sure why that makes him start to flush, but he finds himself struggling to regain his composure in Kaito’s brief absence. _God, what’s wrong with me today?_

Kaito returns within a minute, brandishing a menu, a notepad, and a pen. With a flourish, he hands the menu to Shuuichi, then asks, “By the way- what’s your name? I gotta have something to call you.”

“Oh, right.” That makes enough sense. “Um, ‘Saihara’ is fine.”

“Ah. Saihara-sama, then,” Kaito says nonchalantly, and a small, choked noise involuntarily rises in the back of Shuuichi’s throat.

“You- you don’t have to address me so formally!” he tries to protest, feeling nothing short of utter dismay at the way his voice cracks.

“Sure I do. You’re the boss,” Kaito insists, not looking remotely embarrassed. “Also, the job requires it.”

That’s the first Shuuichi’s heard of such a rule, but he can’t bring himself to argue the point further, so he reluctantly concedes and redirects his attention to his menu. Kaito stands by patiently, pen poised above his notepad to wait for Shuuichi’s order.

“Uh…” Shuuichi once again finds himself at a loss, nervously pushing his glasses further up the bridge of his nose as he weighs his options. Finally, feeling too self-conscious to keep Kaito waiting and too indecisive to actually place an order, he decides to ask, “Is there anything you’d recommend?”

“Sure,” Kaito answers, casually leaning over to point to the colorful graphics on Shuuichi’s menu as he explains the available choices. “If you’re looking for something light, you can’t go wrong with onigiri. The flavors we offer are all listed, but the salted salmon and konbu are the best ones, in my opinion. Also, we shape them ourselves, and they come out looking real cute.”

He then braces his hand on the table and bends down a bit closer, his speech growing more and more animated as he continues. “Or, if it’s an actual meal you want, I’d go with the curry, or an omelette with rice. The omelette with rice is especially popular- not only is it delicious, but you’ll get a little drawing on it in ketchup, too!”

As he extends his hand to the opposite page, Shuuichi is suddenly all too aware of how close they are, practically touching at this point. Their shoulders brush, and he can feel his cheeks get hotter with the contact, but he doesn’t say anything. Kaito is now prattling on so excitedly about the special they have on cheesecake that Shuuichi can’t bring himself to interrupt.

Only when Kaito is finished talking does Shuuichi speak up, concentrating hard to keep his voice from wavering anxiously. “Um- I’ll just have the omelette with rice, then. And a cappuccino.”

Kaito jots down this information, then clicks the pen and tucks it behind one ear to give Shuuichi a thumbs-up. “You got it, Saihara-sama!”

Shuuichi watches Kaito walk off, exhaling a quiet breath of relief that he was able to survive that interaction without making a complete fool of himself. He’d also been beginning to feel mildly overwhelmed by Kaito’s excessive energy.

Still, Shuuichi can admire Kaito’s drive, and how seriously he takes his work. On top of that, he's friendly, exceptionally talented at what he does, and… oddly charming.

When Kaito places his meal in front of him and starts to squeeze a little ketchup kitten onto his omelette, Shuuichi starts to see why Kaito claims to be the reason that this locale has become so popular, especially with the influx of female customers it draws.

Shuuichi is no female customer, but he still finds himself doodling Kaito from memory in his pocket sketchbook on the train ride home.

\------

Before long, he ends up visiting again.

And again.

And again.

And again, until he realizes that it’s become a habit that he indulges roughly once a week, when he has the time and the energy to spare.

It also becomes a habit for him to specifically request Kaito, once he musters the courage. There are a few times where he lets other maids serve him, but it isn’t the same. Kaito really is on a whole different level, in terms of both skill and intrigue.

In fact, Kaito becomes his unwitting muse, and Shuuichi feels oddly guilty about that. Kaito has no idea that Shuuichi is gradually filling pages of his sketchbooks with his likeness, using Kaito as practice to refine his drawing style.

Shuuichi isn’t about to tell him that, though, because the last thing he wants to do is seem like a creep. Besides, it’s not as though he shows the drawings to anyone. They’re for his practice, his personal improvement. He tries to convince himself of this just as adamantly as he tries to convince himself that his interest in Kaito is purely aesthetic.

It’s an easy enough argument to make, he thinks. Kaito simply has a way of putting people at ease with his personality, pulling them in with his strange allure, exciting them with his performances. That has to be the sole reason Shuuichi is so starry-eyed the first time he watches Kaito dance.

It becomes a little harder to tell himself that when he runs out of space in his pocket sketchbook, though.

This necessitates that he carry his regular sketchbook around with him in his bag, so of course he brings it with him the next time he visits the maid café, and of course he pulls it out while he’s waiting for his food in order to put it to good use, and of course he starts to sketch a picture of Kaito in it because by this point he’s fallen so hard he hardly remembers how to draw anything else.

He stops his pencil mid-stroke when Kaito sets his meal on the table, however, scrambling to hug the sketchbook to his chest. The last thing he needs is for Kaito to lay eyes on his current work in progress - a picture of him halfway through executing a twirl that makes his petticoat flutter.

Kaito casts Shuuichi a curious glance as he starts to decorate his omelette with ketchup. “Y’know, I’ve noticed that you draw a lot, Saihara-sama. You an artist or something?”

“Um. I guess you could say that,” Shuuichi mumbles, absently watching Kaito work. “I’m really not that good yet, though…”

“Hey, now. Don’t talk like that,” Kaito huffs. “Have some more confidence in your abilities. With as often as you do it, I’m sure you’re great.”

Shuuichi shrugs. “I guess…”

Kaito continues to gently prod him for details as he finishes his ketchup drawing, moving on to trace a new picture in the frothy layer of Shuuichi’s coffee. “So, what kind of stuff do you normally draw?”

“Usually scenery,” Shuuichi answers carefully, deciding not to disclose the fact that for the last few months, drawing landscapes has been the least of his priorities. “I do want to get better at drawing people, though.”

“Oh, really? Cool,” Kaito says, his interest apparently piqued. Then, after completing his own miniature work of art in Shuuichi’s drink, he straightens up again and grins. “Well, you’re welcome to draw me, if you want- I’m already used to people trying to snap candids of me, anyway. And if you ever do, I’d love to see it!”

Shuuichi’s shoulders stiffen, the blood draining from his face as though he was just accused of something. _God, he has no idea_.

“I, uh…” he swallows hard, hastily trying to get ahold of himself. “I’ll think about it.”

And he does think about it - a lot.

\------

On Shuuichi’s very next visit, Kaito places an omelette with rice and a cup of coffee in front of him before he even orders. Shuuichi is aware that he’s taken to ordering the same thing every time, so it’s no surprise that Kaito has memorized what he likes by now, but he’s still left very confused when Kaito simply winks at him and walks away.

That is, until he looks down and sees the message Kaito left for him in ketchup, occupying his omelette and trailing off onto an empty portion of the plate.

“your art is fantastic! i love how you draw me~⭐”

Shuuichi feels himself go bright red and slack-jawed in the span of a second. _When did he-_ how _did he-_

He risks a glance up and sees Kaito watching him from behind the counter, and when their eyes meet, Kaito smiles broadly and waves, making Shuuichi’s already racing pulse pick up even faster.

It’s all he can do to simply duck his head and try to steady his breathing, absolutely mortified because _oh god, he knows I’ve been drawing him_. Too humiliated now to keep his appetite, he shoulders his bag and hurries out of the café, pointedly avoiding looking in Kaito’s direction.

He hates that he can feel Kaito’s eyes boring holes into his back as the door swings shut behind him.

\------

After that fiasco, Shuuichi considers never going back.

He also briefly considers changing his name again, getting contacts and a new haircut, and moving to another region - another country, even - but decides that that might be _too_ dramatic.

Regardless, he has no clue how to face Kaito again, so he spends the next few weeks avoiding the café. Unfortunately, this leaves him with little inspiration to draw from, and when he realizes that he’s trapped between anxiety and artist’s block, he comes to the conclusion that he can’t hide forever.

When he enters the café again, shoulders hunched with tension, Kaito looks up from the counter, already halfway through a greeting. Upon seeing Shuuichi standing there, though, he pauses, surprise written all over his face. In the few seconds that follow, Shuuichi feels his throat grow tight, and starts to wonder if maybe this was a bad idea after all. Maybe he should have just let it go.

Before his instinct to flee can kick in, however, a delighted grin spreads across Kaito’s face. “Hey, Saihara-sama! I was starting to worry you weren’t going to show up again!”

 _I thought about it_ , Shuuichi thinks, but he could never say that aloud, not when Kaito appears so genuinely happy to see him. Shuuichi actually starts to smile back a little as he shyly admits, “Well… then I wouldn’t have gotten to see you again, Momota-kun.”

Both of them are quiet for a moment as Shuuichi’s words sink in. Shuuichi feels his face getting warm again and wonders if that was too much, but then Kaito’s smile softens. “You flatter me, you know that?”

Then, quick to fall back into his old routine, he clears his throat and gestures for Shuuichi to follow him over to a table. “So, what’ll it be today, Saihara-sama?”

“Just the usual is fine,” Shuuichi says as he settles into place, relaxing somewhat.

Kaito nods. “Coming right up!”

And as usual, his return is swift, but food and drink aren’t the only things he has to give Shuuichi. After setting the plate and mug down, he reaches into the pocket of his apron and produces a small, spiral-bound booklet, then holds it out to him with an almost sheepish expression.

Shuuichi immediately recognizes it as his pocket sketchbook, which he can’t even remember losing, and his eyes go wide. “Is- is that my-”

“Look,” Kaito cuts him off, averting his eyes. “Before you say anything, I just want you to know that I didn’t steal it or anything, okay? You must’ve dropped it somehow, because I found it under the table you were sitting at a while back, but you had already left by then. And I meant to give it back the next time I saw you, so I hung onto it, but… I might’ve gotten a little curious and flipped through it. I didn’t mean to be nosy, or freak you out like I did last time. Really. I just felt like you oughtta know that, um… you’re really good.”

Shuuichi can only gape at Kaito, all of his prior embarrassment returning and painting a bright blush on his cheeks. More than that, though, he’s in awe. Kaito poked through a sketchbook at least half-comprised of pictures of him and was neither offended nor disgusted, but _flattered_.

Several long moments pass with Shuuichi too stunned to say anything, so Kaito impatiently waves the sketchbook in front of him. “Hey, do you want it back or what?”

At last, Shuuichi takes a deep, unsteady breath in an attempt to calm his nerves. “No,” he says quietly, bowing his head. “You can… you can keep it, if you’d like.”

Kaito blinks at him, taken aback. “Wait, seriously? Are you sure?”

Shuuichi nods. “I mean, it’s full, so it’s not like I have any use for it. If you like it that much, then please, feel free to hold onto it.”

Kaito’s face lights up, and as he tucks it back into his pocket, he comments, “You really are generous, Saihara-sama. But… this means I’ve gotta do something for you, too.”

Shuuichi lifts his head at that, then shakes it back and forth almost hard enough to dislodge his glasses. “No, please don’t worry about it! It really isn’t a big deal!”

“Sure it is. You gave me a gift! I’ve gotta return the favor _somehow_ ,” Kaito insists, and before Shuuichi can argue, he picks up the ketchup and begins writing a string of numbers on the omelette, which Shuuichi soon realizes must be a phone number.

“This is my private phone number,” Kaito continues as he squeezes out the last drop of ketchup, confirming Shuuichi’s suspicions. “Plenty of people ask for it, but you’re the only person I’m gonna give it to. You’ve earned it.”

Shuuichi ignores the tacit arrogance in that statement, and the fact that maybe Kaito is a little bit _too_ trusting. However, he does point out, “You… you could have just recited it to me, or something.”

“Hey, I was trying to be creative!” Kaito puffs, mildly offended. “Anyway, that’s not the important thing, here. I just think you should be able to contact me when I’m off work. If you want to, I mean.”

The flush doesn’t leave Shuuichi’s face - if anything, it’s even darker now - but he manages half a smile. “... Sure. I’d like that.”

So he pulls out his phone to record the number with faintly trembling fingers, and silently decides that Kaito’s clear excitement at his acceptance is worth all the trouble.


End file.
